


Most Auspicious of Days

by ftbprotocol



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Awkward Flirting, Enemies to Lovers, Gay Sex, Humor, M/M, Marriage, Marriage Contracts, Misunderstandings, Noctis Lucis Caelum is a Brat, Noctis Lucis Caelum is a Troll, Oral Sex, Sex, Time Loop, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:20:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27335587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ftbprotocol/pseuds/ftbprotocol
Summary: Trapped in a time loop that always resets at his death, Noctis tries over and over to save both his Kingdom and all of Eos. But this isn’t the story of how Noctis saves Eos. This is the story of Noctis' multi-loop holiday and his attempts to take Ardyn up on all his constant creepy flirting.There’s only one problem. Ardyn can dish it out but he can’t take it.
Relationships: Ardyn Izunia/Noctis Lucis Caelum
Comments: 68
Kudos: 185





	1. Rise and Shine

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a short fic to have fun with smut but has become... much longer than anticipated. 
> 
> I have not seen brotherhood or read Dawn of the Future so consider this an AU.
> 
> Inspired by: [52 Days](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18861772/chapters/44767534). A FF VII fic where Cloud's been stuck in a time loop and is constantly failing to stop Sephiroth. So he decides on this loop he just wants to get laid. And then accidentally saves the world.

"Rise and shine sleeping beauty."

Noctis rolled over and turned his back to the rudely opened curtains and the rudely spoken words. He even went so far as to bury his head under the pillow. His soft, fluffy, cockatrice down pillow.

He shifted one of his legs to luxuriate in the smooth slide of silk sheets against bare skin. After weeks or sometimes months of camping and sleeping on scratchy motel sheets, he both loved and hated waking in his old bed.

Loved, because it meant he was about to have a few weeks to enjoy living in civilization once again.

"Oi, Princess. You're gonna be late for work. If you don't get up, I'm gonna make you regret Iggy asking me to fill in for him."

Of course, he only loved this part if he allowed himself to forget that after this brief taste of home, the only world he’d ever known would be reduced to ashes.

Gods, he hated this part.

"I'm your Shield. Not your Nanny," Gladio’s deep voice grumbled.

Noctis groaned into the pillow, "Go'way Gladio. Callin' in sick."

It was like this every morning he returned. Why, oh why, couldn't the loops start on one of his days off?

"Yeah right," Gladio answered with his usual disbelief, "you're fine."

Even though Noctis knew it never worked, it didn’t stop him from trying from time to time.

Gladio's heavy steps on the hardwood floor made it easy to track him across the room as he moved back to Noctis' bedroom door.

"If you aren't up by the time I've reheated the breakfast Iggy left, you’re on your own."

Ugh, did he always have to use that same disappointed tone?

It used to cut deeply, hearing his trusted friend and brother speak to him in that way. It made these mornings even more painful. Doubly so after loops where he'd been able to gain his shield's complete trust and respect.

Now he was just numb to it. It didn't matter what he did, he was always back to Gladio thinking he was a lazy, weak willed princess that he had to toughen up ‘for his own good’.

Noctis sighed and impotently flung the pillow after Gladio, who was long gone. Going by the clanking, he was now in the kitchen and making good on his threat. Noctis flopped onto his back and brought his hand up to rub at his bare chest. Not a mark or blemish to be seen, even if Noctis could still feel the phantom pain of the dagger piercing his heart.

Waking with aches and sores from the method of his death sucked. Drowning was the worst. He couldn't believe how lucky he was not to have experienced it on his last death.

Well... 'lucky' wasn't really the word for it. But that was what he'd stick with.

Noctis stared up at the ceiling, briefly debating how he was going to deal with the events of the day.

He couldn’t go to work, that was a given. Yet another reason for why he hated waking on this day specifically. Due to some obsessive ‘fans’, today was the day it became public knowledge that he was working at a sushi bar.

By the end of his shift the place would be full of his 'fans' all eager to get 'served' by the Prince of Lucis. And most of them wouldn't even eat the food, instead there'd be a sudden market for resold sushi. Gross. Not only that, but protesters, angry with his father's recent policies, would graffiti the place when it was closed for the night.

After all that, it wasn't fair for him to go into work. Dangerous even, according to Iggy. And while he hadn't exactly enjoyed having a job and serving people, the anonymity had been nice. Seeing how people acted when they didn't know they were talking to the prince had made him feel... normal.

For many of the first loops, those personal reasons were the main drivers of why he hated awakening on this particular day.

Until the loop where his dad died in his arms.

As soon as he’d died and woken back in this bed, he’d rushed to the palace, ignoring everything, desperate to see his dad. He'd just needed to see him healthy. Standing. Whole.

But then he'd been forced to wait, anxiously pacing the hallways, while there was an emergency meeting in the throne room. As soon as the doors had opened, out walked his new reason to hate the start of the loops.

Apparently it was also the day that  **he** came to Lucis to demand their unconditional surrender. The bastard called it a ‘peace treaty.’ Hah! And Noctis had been stupid enough to fall for it the first few times.

He had no idea how many resets ago that was. He'd long since lost count.

Noctis sat up with a sigh. If he didn't at least make a show of getting dressed Gladio would never leave. For all his grumbling, he took his responsibilities annoyingly seriously.

Eyes half closed he swung his legs over to the side of the bed. His chest twinged uncomfortably at the motion and he rubbed at his chest again, grimacing. Usually when he died it was either with his friends at his side or during the final battle with Ardyn. The times where Ardyn killed him early in his journey to the Crystal were few but memorable. The man's rage always had a different flavor than usual on those occasions.

Noctis stood, blinking to banish Ardyn's snarling face. He mentally brushed off the light shivers as due to being cold, not because of  **him** .

Opening his closet, he pushed the clean work uniforms to the side and picked out something more fitting for a royal council meeting. There was no point in playing along and pretending to go to work. Though he had done it in the past. Partly to get Iggy and Gladio off his back, but mainly to avoid running into Ardyn too early.

Seeing the man so soon after being killed by him often led to some unpredictable and unfortunate reactions on Noct’s end.

But today there was no time to waste.

This time he had a plan.

After his attempts in the last loop had ended in complete and utter failure, he was determined to get it right this time.

Who knew the man would be so opposed to it? Not him. He'd assumed that Ardyn would jump at the chance if Noctis offered himself. After all his creepy advances, the blatant stalking, and the glancing caresses, Noctis had been sure it wouldn't take much.

But no.

It turned out the man could dish it out but not take it. He'd refused, rebuffed, or disregarded every one of Noctis' increasingly obvious overtures.

And he dared call Noctis a tease.

But this time Noctis had a plan. Sure, it had nothing to do with fulfilling the prophecy or saving the world. And he probably wouldn't even be able to save Insomnia this loop. But that didn't matter. This loop was going to be for him.

The last one didn’t count.

Was the constant undoing of everything he worked for getting to him? Yes. Of course. He could admit that to himself. Was he going crazy? Maybe a little. But really, what else could whoever or whatever had started this expect?

Not even the gods were able to help him end the loops.

So, in the interests of his mental health, he'd started to take breaks from saving Eos. He'd first started to do it after a particularly traumatizing and heartbreaking end that was not to be thought of.

He called them Noct-Loops. They were the only reason he hadn't gone completely crazy. Usually he took off on a multi-month fishing trip that only ended when he was dragged back into fulfilling the prophecy. Or he died.

He was doing something rather extreme for this Noct-Loop, but it wasn’t like he was going to be giving his virginity to the man. Hell no. At least... not mentally. Physically this body had only felt the pleasure his own hand could bring.

Unfortunately, it had taken him nearly twenty loops before he finally stopped being so uptight about sex and got laid. Now, after an uncountable number of loops, it had gotten to the point where the iterations he died a virgin were among the most depressing loops.

He’d been in the loops so long he even decided to branch out and try out men. Without the expectations of providing an heir hanging over him, or the pressures he put on himself -plus feeling more secure in himself- he found it a surprisingly easy experience.

In fact, through experimentation he’d found that he more often than not he preferred men. Especially if they were older men. People who were closer to his own physical age were just so... childish. Not to mention inexperienced.

And no, it had nothing to do with any suppressed daddy issues, screw Gladio for suggesting it the last time Noctis had confided in him.

"Noct? You up yet?" Gladio yelled across the apartment.

"Gettin' dressed!" he yelled back.

Noctis selected an understated black suit and tie that he always wore to family dinners in the palace. It wasn't the fanciest, but it would have to do. Besides, if he was able to force his way into the throne room, he'd have to wear the ceremonial robes over his outfit anyway.

After putting on the black slacks and buttoning up the black dress shirt, he glanced at his phone.

It read 11am.

Shit.

No wonder Gladio had sounded extra pissed. Usually Noctis got up earlier than this.

How quickly he woke up seemed to depend on how he died, but not always. It was a small frustrating inconsistency that he'd stopped questioning.

When did that bastard arrive in Insomnia again?

Sometimes little details like that were difficult for him to remember. Over the course of the months and years it often took for everything to reset, there was just too much to keep straight.

He'd used to know down to the second when Ardyn would appear in the throne room. That was in the early days, when he'd realized Ardyn was in Insomnia. Many times he'd rushed to the palace and tried to kill the Accursed.

Noctis had quickly stopped when he realized how fruitless his efforts were. Ardyn never stayed dead. Not to mention attacking the man usually resulted in multiple Diamond Weapons destroying Insomnia before his eyes.

_ Wait. That's right! Ardyn always arrived...now. Shit. I’m late. _

Scooping up his phone, he sent a quick text to his boss, letting them know he wasn't coming in. Citing 'family business' always got him the least questions asked. Normally he wouldn't bother for a Noct-loop, those were about getting the hell out of Insomnia and being alone, but he needed to stay on Ignis' good side for his plan to have a hope of succeeding.

Grabbing some black socks to go with his black tie and black suit jacket, Noctis stumbled out of his bedroom and into the rest of the apartment, the dumb pillow almost tripping him while he typed in the message to his boss.

"Hey, Gladio." He made his way over to the couch, slumping into the seat and dropping the rest of his clothes next to him. "Just got a message from dad, they need me at the palace." He ducked his head to put on his socks, so Gladio couldn't read the lie in his face.

"What?" Gladio pulled his own phone out, "I haven't heard anything."

"Well I did so..." Noctis trailed off, not needing to continue. Gladio was here to drive him in Ignis' stead to work. So instead he'd just have to drive Noctis to the Citadel. No big deal.

"Thought you said you were sick," Gladio raised a skeptical eyebrow, "you sure you're not just trying to get outta work?"

"It sounded urgent alright?" Noctis stood, wrapping the tie loosely around his neck, "so can we just..." He motioned to the door, trying to keep up his casual uncaring facade. No need to show how badly he wanted to get a move on. Ardyn was already in the city and giving his dad the conditions of Insomnia's surrender.

If Noctis didn't hurry, he may not be able to make the changes he needed to the treaty.

"Huh." Gladio looked him up and down. "Must be to have you dressed like that so fast."

Noctis nodded and fought not to meet Gladio's gaze and challenge him. It was hard, pretending to be his old self.

"Alright,” Gladio conceded, “but you should at least eat-"

"I'll eat in the car," Noctis interrupted, striding to the front door and slipping into his dress shoes.

Gladio sighed and took Noctis' breakfast out of the microwave. "You know what Iggy will say if he-"

"I know, I know. Let's go already." Eating in the car was high on Ignis' list of unacceptable behaviours. But Noctis was too impatient to care.

"Ok, Ok. Geeze." Gladio's movements sped up a bit as he collected the few things he'd brought into the apartment.

Noctis suppressed a growl and yanked the door open, saying, "I'll meet you in the car." He grabbed the keys from the side table and strode out.

Gladio's cry of, "Hey!" following him out the door.

He didn't have much time. Not if he wanted to crash Ardyn's audience with the king.


	2. Casting with an Empty Hook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A side story: Noctis' first attempt at flirting does not go as planned.

The first time Noctis tried to proposition the Accursed he let events play out as they usually did when he didn’t bother changing anything. He hated leaving Insomnia and his dad to the Empire, but sometimes it was just easier to go with the flow.

Plus, if he didn't let things play out, he’d found that Ardyn became a lot more unpredictable. Like not showing up at Galdin Quay or helping him with Titan. For example, if he warned his dad about the betrayal of the kingsglaive, Ardyn often got caught up in the fallout. It also put him in a bad mood, which wouldn’t help Noctis at all.

So his plan was simple.

Step 1: Make it obvious to Ardyn that he was attracted to him. 

Step 2: Orchestrate uninterrupted alone time with him. 

Step 3: Have hate-sex.

Doing it this way, with Ardyn thinking Noctis didn't know who he was, had the best chance for success. The less known baggage between them the better.

After all, it would be one thing to hit on and hook up with a suspicious stranger helping them, and another thing entirely to do it with the Chancellor of the Niflheim Empire. A man who had orchestrated Lucis’s fall and the seizing of the Crystal.

So Noctis made sure that their meeting at Galdin Quay would be something that was fairly set in stone. Better to keep things predictable so he could control their interactions. When Noctis and his retinue sauntered up the boardwalk of Galdin Quay to take a nonexistent ferry to Altissia, he was not at all surprised Ardyn was waiting for him.

“I’m afraid you’re out of luck.”

The four of them all stopped in the middle of the outdoor restaurant.

Noctis put his game face on, excited to finally start his plan, and said, “I doubt it.” 

He made an obvious show of looking Ardyn up and down.

“The boats bring you here?” Ardyn waved behind him, ignoring Noctis.

“What about ’em?” Prompto said.

“Well," Ardyn said, casually walking towards them, "they’ll not take you forth.”

Gladio and Ignis had flanked Noctis, but Ardyn was apparently determined to brush past the 'chosen king'. So he kept walking in an obvious attempt to force them to move aside. But Noctis wanted to make it obvious that he was interested in the supposed stranger. So he raised a hand and they stepped back, letting Ardyn approach unchallenged.

“And…” Noctis drawled channelling Gladio when he hit on a girl, not taking his eyes off his target, “who’re you? And how do you know that?”

“I’m an impatient traveller.” Ardyn stalked past Noctis, the edge of his coat brushing against Noctis' leg. Usually Noctis moved out of the way when Ardyn did so. But he didn’t this time. And as predicted, he got an assessing look for it.

“But I guess I’m not travelling today." Ardyn tossed his head, putting on a woe-is-me tone. "And all because of that useless cease fire.”

Noctis blinked at the unexpected turn of phrase. That was different.

Ardyn spun and tossed his coin.

In his brief distraction he almost failed to catch it. But by now it was an ingrained reflex to react.

Neither Gladio, Ingis or Prompto did anything in his defense, honouring his motion for them to stand back. 

“And what’s this?” Noctis stepped forward, putting his friends at his back and holding the coin up.

“Consider it your allowance.” Ardyn held out a hand dramatically at Noctis.

“I’m not this cheap.” Noctis grabbed the offending hand out of the air, startling Ardyn. He was put off balance long enough for Noctis to slap the coin back into the man’s hand and say, “at least buy me dinner first.”

It was a line from Gladio's book. It had to work. From behind him, Ignis cleared his throat in that way he did when he thought Noctis wasn't acting like he should. 

When Ardyn didn't jump at the offer as expected, and instead tried to take his hand back, Noctis panicked a little and held it in place.

He lowered his voice and stepped closer to Ardyn. Close enough to say softly, “You know who I am, don’t you?” 

“Ah well...” Ardyn tilted his head, eyes fixed on Noctis.

It was only through countless loops spent getting to know the man, most of it unwilling, that Noctis saw the moment Ardyn decided how to play this.

“I didn’t think it was prudent to say so out loud.” Ardyn leaned down, putting his face closer to Noctis' own. It was the closest they’d ever gotten when not fighting.

Noctis swallowed around a sudden tightness in his throat. And had it suddenly gotten hotter out? He better not be blushing.

“You’ve caught me. The ceasefire could end at any minute. Who **knows** what might happen to a prince sent out on his own. As a concerned party, I simply **had** to say something."

In the past, Ardyn’s little dig about the ceasefire ending soon -he should know since it was all according to his plan, the bastard- would have hurt.

“Concerned party? So you’re what… a fan?” Noctis couldn't resist saying. Was he messing with Ardyn a little? Yes. But he had to say something. And blurting out the first thing that came to mind was a habit he had yet to completely break when nervous.

“Oh I’m nothing as mundane as that.” Ardyn brought up his free hand to Noctis' face, stopping just short of caressing it. “I’m so much more.”

“Ahem,” Ignis cleared his voice pointedly, distracting Noctis enough for Ardyn to pull his hand free and back up.

The otherwise hot air hanging around the resort felt strangely cooler in his absence.

“And so forewarned, I’m afraid I must take my leave.” Ardyn flung the coin up in the air and caught it.

“Already? What’s the rush?” Noctis was acting too forward. He knew it was out of character, he never did this with strangers, but he couldn’t help himself. He didn't want Ardyn to leave yet! He was supposed to buy Noctis dinner!

The coin was flicked at his head again.

Noctis flinched as it hit him directly in the forehead. He barely caught it before it hit the ground, fumbling the initial catch, and glared at Ardyn.

“I said I’m not this cheap.” Noctis pointed behind him and to the restaurant with his thumb meaningfully.

But Ardyn didn’t take him up on it. Why was the bastard playing so hard to get? Noctis had been sure that if he gave the man a reason to stick around he’d jump at it.

“As I said, consider it an investment.” Ardyn turned his back and walked down the boardwalk and back to the beach. “Until we meet again.”

A part of Noctis wanted to run after the man and grab him. Ugh, the bastard was such a fucking tease.

After the rejection, Noctis could have killed himself to restart the loop and try a different approach. But that was something he’d long ago sworn not to do. Obsessing over small encounters and killing himself if they went wrong was a guaranteed path to madness.

His friends were all giving him strange looks, and Noctis couldn’t blame them. He’d heard the whispered conversations concerned that he was depressed. He’d just acted more engaged and assertive than he had all loop.

Later that night, he lay in bed and replayed the whole encounter in his head. When he'd cast the line, maybe he'd used the wrong lure. Or maybe Ardyn wasn't the type to bite on an empty hook. He'd need to more carefully consider his options next time.

He resolved to at least try on this loop until Ardyn killed Luna. After that his interest would be impossible to justify. But there was no way he’d have to wait that long so it was a moot point.

* * *

“Noct…”

“Seriously dude, wtf.”

“What he said.”

“What?” Noctis stalked past them towards the restaurant. “I have a type ok?”

“!?”

“You what?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost wrote Noct's plan as:   
> Step 1: Hit on Ardyn  
> Step 2: ???  
> Step 3: Sex!


	3. Negotiating with the King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis thinks he can convince Ardyn and the King of his plan. It goes as well as he should have expected.

_Well… shit._ Noctis stared at the closed doors to the council chamber, complete with two guards standing in front of it.

He’d arrived at the Citadel to find the throne room empty and his dad and the royal council sequestered away to debate the treaty. It meant Ardyn was already on his way out of the city and he was too late to crash Ardyn’s presentation of the Empire’s terms for Lucis’s surrender.

Which sucked. But maybe it was for the best. Afterall his last memory before waking up was of Ardyn killing him. A bit more time to make himself mentally present in this loop was probably for the best. 

It did put a slight speed bump in the way of his plan, however he should still have time to get what he wanted. The terms of the treaty hadn’t been accepted yet so there was plenty of room for Noctis to negotiate.

The guards at the door to the council chamber were reluctant to let him in when he shook off his thoughts, strode up to them, and demanded access. Thanks to the king's habit of keeping Noctis out of the court, he was not technically allowed into a closed council meeting.

But thankfully they hadn’t been explicitly ordered to keep him out. Where once Noctis would have stopped pushing out of a desire to not cause a scene, he was no longer so easily rebuffed. He now had many loops of practice in using his royal position to get what he wanted.

Before the heavy doors were opened, the familiar voice of one of the council members shouted through them.

"But, Your Majesty! Surely you don't mean to submit to all of their demands! There must be room for us to negotiate-"

The voice cut off with the opening of the doors.

"His Highness, Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum," one of the guards announced into the now silent room.

Noctis strode into the room, alone, dress shoes clicking against the black polished floor. In front of him sat the long rectangular council table of black wood and glass. It sparkled in the light cast by the large chandeliers hanging overhead, reflecting the dark and sombre tone of the room.

Along each side of the table sat the various council members, their ornamental robes still in place from when they'd been in the throne room. It showed just how rattled they were by the chancellor that they were still wearing them.

"Prince Noctis," his dad acknowledged stiffly and with a hint of disapproval. King Regis sat at the head of the table in a high backed black and gold chair.

Noctis was glad that he was past the point of mourning his dad’s death. Otherwise confidently jumping right into this meeting to decide the fate of Insomnia would have been far too overwhelming.

He'd done variations of his current actions in past loops. Sometimes to try and get them to reject the treaty, sometimes to try and make them prepare for the Empire's inevitable betrayal. He'd had mixed results from his attempts. Thankfully he always had Iggy to consult with to try and improve his arguments for the next loop.

"Your Majesty." Noctis stopped at the far end of the table, closest to the door, where no chair was placed. "I heard Niflheim has offered us a peace treaty. I came as soon as I could."

King Regis narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Noctis, but otherwise showed no reaction. In these rooms and under these circumstances, he was the King of Lucis, not Noctis' dad.

Now came the hard part. Convincing both his dad and the council to go along with his crazy plan. His experience in past loops would help him to a degree, but unfortunately this was otherwise new territory. He hadn’t dared consult with Iggy on his current plan. Not even under the pretense of a hypothetical scenario.

"Allowing a marriage between myself and the Oracle will not end well for Lucis. How flexible were they on the terms of the treaty?" Noctis asked the room at large.

From the look on the king's face, Noctis knew his dad desperately wanted to ask how Noctis knew all of that. But Noctis had already implied that the King had invited him here with his opening statement, and the council appeared to accept the fact that the king had informed him. Even if it would be out of character for him.

It was one of Noctis' favourite tricks an Ignis of many loops past had taught him.

"I'm afraid the envoy was quite firm on the terms, Your Highness," one of the council members, a white haired man with a moustache, answered.

"That doesn't mean they aren't open to negotiation," the voice that had yelled through the doors spoke, the only woman on the council, and someone Noctis was passingly familiar with.

He'd never taken much interest in the council as people. He had in a few of the loops but... more often than not everyone in the room was dead in a few weeks. And their names and motivations were something he'd never bothered to remember. Much to Ignis' exasperation.

"And why do you advise against the marriage, Prince Noctis?" King Regis asked, halting what looked like the continuation of the argument Noctis' entrance had interrupted. "Though she may be a citizen of Niflheim, she holds our country in high esteem. More importantly, she is a symbol of peace and hope in these troubled times."

"That's not why." Noctis forced himself to keep his hands at his side, and not gesture like he wanted to. He needed to appear cool and confident, or the council wouldn't take him seriously. "It's because marrying her would turn the whole of Eos against Lucis."

The council exchanged glances, some clearly not understanding what he was implying while a few nodded their agreement. It was a reminder of one of the reasons he disliked most of the people gathered before him. They had no idea what was happening outside of their safe little bubble.

A bubble that existed at the expense of his dad’s life.

King Regis sat up straighter, if that was even possible given how stiffly he'd been holding himself since Noctis entered, and ordered, "Explain."

"The Oracle has an important calling. Too important to be used in this way. She spends her time travelling the world and healing the people of Eos. How can we take her away from them, when she is needed so badly?” Noctis explained. “No, it will only increase the anger people already feel towards our country."

"The marriage of the Oracle and the Prince of Lucis will give the people nothing but hope in these dark times. Not anger them," a councillor to Noctis' left stated.

"The people of Lucis maybe. But not the people of Eos," Noctis said.

"And where have you heard of such anger, Prince Noctis," the king asked, looking slightly concerned. Noctis wasn't sure why. He couldn't be so unaware of what the people outside their borders thought of them, could he? Or did he really think Noctis was that clueless?

"I've heard things.” Noctis shrugged. “I assumed learning what people really thought of us was why you wanted me to get a job."

Technically he’d only heard the odd comment at work. Most of what Noctis had learned of people's distrust and disdain for Insomnia was on the road. But he couldn't share that here.

"Who did you hear denigrating the royal family? Such offences must be severely punished," the man with the moustache blustered, shocked and offended on Noctis' behalf.

Badmouthing the royal family carried a heavy cost. He'd learned about it the hard way after casually repeating what a classmate had once said in his hearing. Noctis had never made the same mistake again.

"That's not important." He waved the concern away. "My point is that Lucis already has the Crystal. People will be very unhappy if we also gain the Oracle."

He'd tried on a few loops to get the marriage completely removed from the treaty. He’d done it to keep her out of Insomnia when the wall fell. But he'd never had any success, even when he did convince the council. Niflheim always insisted on bringing her for the treaty signing.

“The marriage itself will only inflame the negative sentiments outside Insomnia.”

"You believe the marriage offer is a trap," the king stated.

Noctis' heart sank a bit at the look on the king’s face, as it often did when faced with the truth. His dad had known the treaty and the marriage was a trap. Of course he'd known. And he'd gone along with it. Not for the first time Noctis wanted to shake his dad and demand an explanation of what the hell he'd been thinking.

"It's not just the people outside of Lucis who will be upset. Sure, the royalists in Insomnia will be celebrating in the streets if the marriage is announced. But there are a lot of people, both inside and outside Insomnia, who resent that we hide behind the Crystal's protection."

“The marriage was a key stipulation of the treaty," the king said. "A symbol of unity and a permanent end to the war. It could be said that proposing a marriage with the Oracle is a sign of trust from the Empire.”

“If marriage is a requirement the Empire must have other, more suitable candidates,” Noctis said, starting to lead the conversation in the direction he wanted.

“Council member Boule, what is your stance on this?” King Regis opened up discussion to the table. A signal that Noctis' time to plead his case was over.

Damn it, he hadn’t finished yet!

Noctis was forced to stand and listen to them debate his words and was reminded yet again of why he’d long since sworn off relying on them. It was a waste of time when they would just debate in circles and rehash old arguments.

Thankfully the discussion didn’t last long. By the time King Regis motioned for silence, Noctis knew what his dad was going to say.

Noctis had slept in too late. His argument had been too rushed. He hadn’t been granted the time to use the speech Ignis had helped him prepare many loops ago to prevent the marriage.

"Prince Noctis, while your council has been appreciated, I'm afraid the marriage-"

 _No no no!_ Noctis internally panicked. _Dad was going to go through with it! As always!_

"I like men!" Noctis blurted out.

The king paused. The rest of the council stared at him in dumbfounded silence.

Noctis cleared his throat nervously -this wasn’t at all how he’d hoped this would go- and continued, "I like men. So I wouldn't be able to consummate the marriage.”

By Lucian tradition, if a marriage wasn’t consummated, it was considered null and void. Ignis would complain that his point had been inelegantly said, but Noctis had tried Iggy's way and ran out of time.

"Noctis." Oh no, his dad was upset. If he'd dropped the formal titles that meant he thought Noctis was behaving childishly.

"Can we at least negotiate with Niflheim a bit?" Noctis barely managed to keep the pleading note out of his voice. "Maybe they'd be open to a different arranged marriage to symbolize the peace treaty. With a man."

The king stared at him long and hard. But Noctis didn't back down. Meeting his dad’s stare resolutely with a straight back. Noctis’ confidence seemed to surprise the king, who wasn’t used to Noctis being so assertive.

"Very well." King Regis finally nodded stiffly. “If it will assuage your concerns, we will open negotiations.”

Noctis forced himself not to look away from the faint questioning and disappointed look on his dad’s face. He obviously wanted to ask why Noctis had never confided in him before, but he couldn't do so in front of the council.

The king waved to one of the attendants taking notes of the meeting forward and asked, "Is the chancellor still within the city limits?"

"Umm.” The man quickly consulted his phone. “Yes, Your Majesty."

"Contact the chancellor's escort and invite him back to the citadel. Inform him we wish to clarify aspects of the treaty with him."

"At once, Your Majesty." The man bowed and left.

Noctis let out a sigh of relief. So far so good. All this political manoeuvring was such a pain. And he’d already almost blown it. Maybe he was going to a crazy extreme just to get what he wanted. But he'd already tried the easy route.

And failed.

In a way... maybe this would end up being fun. Or at least novel. He’d never tried to change the marriage to a man before. How would Ardyn react? Especially when Noctis pushed for his hand in marriage?

Noctis suppressed an inappropriate smile as he imagined the look on Ardyn's face.

An awkward silence descended on the room while they waited for the attendant to return. Noctis continued to stand, not meeting anyone's eye.

In what could only have been a few minutes but felt much longer, the man returned with the chancellor's status.

"Your Majesty, they were almost at the city gate but are turning around as we speak." The attendant bowed.

Noctis breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t been too late. Though he’d been cutting it close.

He turned away and strode to one of the windows along the wall to better hide his growing anticipation. How would Ardyn react to this new wrench Noctis was throwing into his plans? Would he push back and threaten to get his way? Or would he shrug and let it happen? Even though Ardyn was always very insistent on the marriage to Luna, maybe Noctis’ request would amuse him enough that he’d play along.

Noctis repressed the urge to rock on the balls of his feet to dispel his anticipation. 

* * *

"Let me see if I understand you correctly." The Chancellor of Niflheim lounged casually in his seat at the council table. A stark contrast to all the stiff postures of the seated Lucians. "In exchange for accepting our terms unconditionally, you wish to negotiate the particulars of the marriage that will seal the deal."

Ardyn gave all of those present a long look and then continued in a slow, disbelieving drawl, "because the prince will only marry a man."

Noctis barely managed to refrain from crossing his arms and saying petulantly, 'Yeah? What's the problem?'

But he managed. In the current situation, he couldn’t take control like he wanted. He needed to leave it to his dad for now. It chafed to censure himself around **the bastard** but he could do it. He’d done it before.

The king didn’t react to Ardyn's disrespectful tone and simply replied regally, "That is correct."

Most of the council had been dismissed for this discussion. Only the king, his shield, and three of the council remained. Noctis had been given a seat to his dad’s left. The six representatives of Lucis were seated at one end of the table while the rest of the chairs sat empty. At the end of the table, where Noctis had stood earlier while making his case, sat the chancellor.

"This is quite the surprise!" Ardyn laughed and said, "Do forgive me, I was uncertain if you were serious. I don't recall ever hearing news of the prince stating such a preference. Will this marriage announcement double as his coming out to the public?" Ardyn leaned back against his high backed chair, elbows resting carelessly on the armrests.

“I can just imagine the tears that will be wept, once word is out that the fetching prince is not for the fairer sex.” Ardyn's tone was pompous, airy, and completely overdone. But it was how he always spoke to the king. And he obviously enjoyed playing up the act.

Seeing Ardyn behave this way still gave him a bit of mental whiplash, even after all this time. To go from Ardyn snarling in rage and ready to kill him, to this... insulting carelessness was always weird.

"But I must confess to being surprised that His Majesty did not make such a stipulation from the beginning?" Ardyn twirled the wrist of his right hand in the air absentmindedly, before pointing rudely at the king with a hint of a cruel smile. "Unless you didn't know, of course."

Noctis kept his face carefully blank, trying not to wince. 

"Be that as it may," King Regis said, refusing to respond to Ardyn's goading, "is Niflheim able to accommodate such an arrangement?"

"Well..." Ardyn rubbed his chin, bringing Noctis' attention to his scruff. Of course he’d come to demand the surrender of Lucis with his perpetual five o'clock shadow. Noctis might secretly like the scruffy look, but it was yet another subtle way Ardyn was insulting Lucis.

"I'm afraid I can think of no replacement with the pedigree of the Oracle."

Noctis instinctively wanted to snarl at the term 'pedigree', Luna was not a dog! But... he'd heard the same language thrown around the Citadel all the time. It was one reason he'd been glad to have his own apartment. 

He still didn't have to like it.

"Are you sure you won't agree to marry the Lady Lunafreya?" For the only the second time since stepping into the room, Ardyn met his eyes as he practically cooed, "You'd make such a lovely couple."

When Ardyn had first been escorted into the council room, he'd been quite surprised to see Noctis there. He’d quickly recovered, of course, and gleefully introduced himself with a bow. Noctis had barely been able to nod back in greeting. He'd been practically frozen. His last memory before his death flying to the front of his mind. Those golden eyes narrowed in rage. Ardyn's voice almost hoarse from screaming at the heavens.

But then his father had invited the chancellor to sit, breaking the spell, and the man's attention hadn't returned to him since.

It was annoying, surprisingly so, to have Ardyn dismiss Noctis so easily.

"He is sure," King Regis said.

"Hmm," Ardyn hummed but did not otherwise voice his obvious skepticism. "Forgive me for saying this, but I do find it strange that you would accept all other terms of the treaty without a quarrel. But this you wish to quibble over.” Ardyn’s eyes slanted over to Noctis as he said, “The prince is truly blessed to have a father who loves him so."

It was only thanks to Noctis sitting so close to his dad that he saw the king’s hands clench against the armrests of the chair.

He could also hear the other council members shift in their seats at the thinly veiled accusation. It was a good thing his dad had sent the other council members away. They would have reacted badly. **Noctis** would have reacted badly, if it wasn’t exactly what he wanted. 

"Tragically, His Radiance has suffered the loss of many of his relatives over the course of this long and horrible war.” Regret practically dripped from Ardyn’s voice. “I'm afraid there are no relatives that would fit both the prince's criteria and match his social status. But if you are set upon this...” Ardyn looked up to the crystalline chandelier hanging over the table and tapped his lips in an exaggerated thinking pose. “Perhaps someone from one of the lesser noble houses?"

Some of the council grimaced at the offer.

“Aha!” He snapped his fingers. "I believe the young Commander Loqi Tummelt would be amenable?"

"Absolutely not!" the bald council member immediately shot down, outraged and insulted on Noctis' behalf.

What followed was a quick back and forth as Ardyn suggested increasingly lower class options and the council became more and more riled up by the insult to the royal family. Noctis held his tongue through it all in an exercise of extreme self-control. He knew he couldn't suggest what he wanted too soon. If he did, it would be immediately shot down. So he waited and let the council reject all of Ardyn's suggestions.

"Well gentlemen, and lady." Ardyn nodded to the elderly council member seated beside Noctis. "I'm afraid I just can't think of anyone else who would be open to marrying your prince. As fetching a young man as he is."

Noctis took a deep breath to ready himself. Now was the time. Now that the council had shot down all of his suggestions, Noctis' demand wouldn't seem too out of place. Convincing everyone he was serious would be the hard part.

"Oh!" Ardyn sat up, before Noctis could even open his mouth, as if he'd just had a brilliant idea. "I just remembered, would Commander Ravus not meet your exacting standards? There is the _minor_ inconvenience that he despises your country,” Ardyn held two fingers almost together to show how small an issue he believed it to be. “But! Perhaps he can be convinced. It's not as ideal as a marriage to the Oracle, but it could be just the thing."

Shit. Noctis felt all his plans sinking as the Ravus ship suddenly entered the verbal battlefield.

That must have been what Ardyn had been angling for from the moment he realized they were serious about not having Noctis marry Luna. The bastard outplayed Noctis without even realizing it!

Noctis cursed himself for not anticipating Ardyn latching onto Ravus as a replacement for Luna. He floundered, annoyed that Ardyn had turned this around on him so easily.

Why was the man so good at it?!

He glanced around at the other Lucians to see, to his horror, that they appeared to be seriously considering it too. Even though the commander had never been shy in voicing his hatred of Lucis in the past. He’d even led battles against them!

King Regis had yet to state his opinion. Noctis was aware that his dad had been eyeing him ever since Ardyn had started listing possibilities. Knowing his dad, he was using Noctis' reactions to guide what he’d eventually say.

Noctis blamed his panic at his plan going south so quickly once Ardyn entered the room for blurting out, "what if I marry you?"

The room was shocked into silence. Both the council and the king stared at him, aghast, while Noctis tried to steel his nerves and calm his rapidly beating heart. He met Ardyn's equally surprised stare resolutely.

The silence didn’t last long when the most annoying giggle erupted from the Imperial Chancellor.

Noctis fought an embarrassed blush but knew with his pale skin he definitely failed.

Still barely able to contain his giggles, Ardyn was the first to speak, "Your Highness, I'm flattered. But I hold no lordly titles. Someone of as little consequence as myself could never dream of becoming royalty."

Noctis clenched his fists at the dismissal. Beside him, his dad sighed and admonished quietly, "Son, take this seriously."

It was a sign of how rattled his dad was that he’d call Noctis ‘son’ in front of a foreign dignitary.

Further embarrassed, annoyed, and frustrated, Noctis threw all caution to the wind and took a risk. He needed to bait Ardyn.

"I am serious," Noctis answered his dad. Then looked at Ardyn in clear challenge, and in a flash of inspiration said, "Whoever I marry will take my name, so it won't matter. And Ardyn Lucis Caelum has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

Ardyn's intermittent giggling cut off abruptly.

The look Noctis received sent his heartbeat thudding loudly in his ears and his hands clenching for a weapon he dared not draw. Ardyn was finally giving Noctis all of his attention, and it was a heady thing as always.

Noctis stared back defiantly, brushing from his mind the image of Ardyn lunging at him with his sword drawn.

For a brief moment, he worried he might have gone too far with the comment. Did he just make Ardyn think that Noctis knew who he was? He hoped not. Shit. The thought made Noctis start to sweat a little. Ardyn got really vicious on those loops.

A council member, obviously fed up with Noctis' bratty behaviour, unknowingly came to Noctis' rescue.

"Your Majesty, if I may?" the king nodded to him, off balance by Noctis' behaviour and trying not to show it. "Ravus Nox Fleuret would be a suitable candidate for the marriage, being of similar noble lines. I suggest we limit the names of those in contention to those of high breeding. Anything less would only be an insult to Lucis."

The last line was very pointedly not said directly to Noctis. They probably all thought that Noctis had been trying to rile the chancellor up on purpose.

What followed was a continuation of the discussion between the councillors of what class level was acceptable for marriage with the crown prince. They all basically pretended that Noctis' interruption had never happened.

Ardyn kept circling back to how a marriage to the Oracle was of course still preferable. When he expressed amusement that the prince would jeopardize the peace treaty by quibbling over such an insignificant detail, Noctis was forced to speak up to defend himself.

In many loops Noctis had tried to end or change the marriage, but Ardyn almost always got his way. It was infuriating. But after many attempts, Noctis was better armed to counter him. So he argued that if it was so insignificant, then it shouldn't matter that he marry a man.

Noctis' interjection was apparently all that it took to get Ardyn to stop pushing for Luna. The negotiation quickly resumed discussing the merits of the people Ardyn had suggested.

He couldn’t shake the sudden sense that Ardyn had been testing him.

It quickly became clear to Noctis that Ravus was emerging as a clear if reluctant favourite. A large part of their reasoning was due to the lack of standing of the other names put forward. At no point did they ever discuss the potential of the one person Noctis was going through this whole song and dance for.

Fed up, he griped, "What's so wrong with me marrying the chancellor?" to one of the more opinionated council members.

The man choked. "It is an insult to our nation to have you marry a man of unknown station-"

Noctis interrupted, "But he's good at his job, isn't he? I've been reading about him and what he's done for his nation, it's impressive."

The words were hard to say but he managed, by the grace of Shiva, to keep a straight face. And it was impressive, in a twisted kind of way, what he'd done to the Empire as chancellor.

Noctis glanced at Ardyn to see his eyebrows raised high in surprise at the praise. He then full on smirked and didn’t even bother to hide how entertained he was.

"Why, I had no idea the deeds of someone as inconsequential as myself had reached the ears of His Highness," Ardyn spoke over the sputtering councillor, "or that he held me is such high regard."

Noctis nodded awkwardly at Ardyn and then turned back to the councillor. "I think marrying someone who knows how to run a country would be a better match than some pampered Niflheim noble. Or someone who's led armies against us."

Instead, he had other people do the fighting for him; Noctis didn’t say.

"Your Majesty!" The man turned to a pained looking Regis. "Surely you do not condone such an... inadvisable match."

The king held up a hand to silence the murmurings of the council and motioned for Noctis to come closer so they could speak slightly privately. "Son, where is this coming from?"

At least they were considering Ardyn more seriously now. Maybe he should have led with this argument.

"Well, it's not like you've taught me how to run the country at all. You've been keeping me from learning my duties. I thought marrying someone who knew how to do it would be better than some noble who's never had to work as hard as **he** must have to gain his position," Noctis said.

He glanced down the table at Ardyn, who was still looking extremely entertained. Which was good, Noctis reminded himself, an entertained Ardyn was more likely to play along.

"Well!" Ardyn clapped his hands, startling everyone. "This has been quite the... illuminating negotiation. But I believe I have enough to take back to His Radiance. As a gesture of good will, only those worthy few discussed here today will be considered. I will of course have to speak with the prince's suitors to see who is amenable. Not all will be as willing as the Lady Lunafreya to marry into a fallen Kingdom."

Noctis stoically watched the other Lucians all purse their lips at the insult. They all held their tongues at a gesture for silence by the king. That gesture was all that stopped Noctis from jumping in to stop Ardyn from leaving. Damnit, he'd wanted to have some sort of agreement from the man before he left.

Why was he making this so damn difficult! Noctis had been sure, again, that he'd jump at the opportunity Noctis had presented. Instead, Ardyn had barely given Noctis' proposal serious consideration.

Obviously he’d known Ardyn would play hard to get after Noctis' succession of failures in the last loop. But he’d been sure that he’d make better headway with the marriage proposal than this.

Still. He really hadn’t anticipated having to do all the work here.

"I appreciate your willingness to accommodate my son's request," King Regis said. "We all want this peace to be long lasting."

"Wonderful!" Ardyn clapped his hands in apparent glee. "His Radiance will be delighted to hear it."

But... who knew with Ardyn. Maybe the man would include his name on the list of potential suitors as a slight to Lucis. Technically he would be counted in the ‘worthy few discussed today.’

"Now I'm afraid I must be off!" Ardyn rudely excused himself and rose to his feet, instead of waiting to be dismissed by the king like someone of his station should. "I'm afraid my escort waiting outside your walls may do something drastic if I don't return soon."

Ardyn took off his hat and bowed dramatically. "Once again, it was a great pleasure to finally meet you, Your Majesty." He raised his head and smirked at Noctis. "And you as well, Your Highness.”

And with that, Ardyn swept from the council room.

Noctis wanted to bash his head against the glass table. It would be far preferable to the long talk he knew was in his future with his dad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading, and for the kudos and comments! Ardyn is a hard catch to land but Noctis will get there eventually! And if he dies trying he can just try again.


	4. Setting the Lure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Side Story: Noctis tries to be suave and lure Ardyn in.

In the weeks following the Galdin Quay attempt, Noctis went through the expected motions. Royal Tombs were found and hunts were completed. To deal with his boredom he spent a lot of time sleeping in the car. If only the looping was like playing New Game+ in Kings Knight; where you could skip the cut-scenes and insta-kill old and weak enemies.

The closer they got to the time they’d see Ardyn again, the more impatient he became. He just wanted to hurry up and get to the part where Luna awakened the Archaeon. When the headaches finally came, he was intensely relieved. That is until he remembered that he’d have to live with them and pretend not to know how to stop them for over a week.

Titan could go suck Ifrit’s fiery dick.

Maybe the splitting headaches made him a little short tempered. But could anyone really blame him? If he rushed through a few of the hunts and killed the monsters before the others had time to draw their weapons, well, he thought it was forgivable.

An unfortunate downside to the swift completion of the hunts was that they arrived in Lestallum ahead of schedule. To stall until Ardyn showed his face, Noctis used the headaches as an excuse not to take anymore hunts. Better to kill time in Lestallum than run around the countryside with a splitting headache.

Past loops had proven that if Noctis delayed going to see Titan, Ardyn always 'coincidentally' ran into them to hurry Noctis along. The exact time and place Ardyn would do this varied, but it had quickly proved to Noctis that Ardyn had some way of keeping track of him. Noctis had yet to catch his stalker in the act but that didn't mean he’d ever stopped trying.

After a couple days, once Noctis was pretty sure he’d given Ardyn long enough to arrive in town, he told the others about getting visions of Luna and Titan. Which wasn’t even a lie, Titan was starting to get really obvious about it. It led to Prompto suggesting they go to the look out to come up with a plan. 

As they walked down the steps from the parking lot to the look-out, Noctis spotted a distinct red convertible parked at the far end of the lot. He straightened from his slouch and did his best to ignore the mild headache. 

As expected, Ardyn was waiting for them at the lookout.

Noctis took a deep, calming breath. He was ready. He'd practiced. He wasn't letting Ardyn get away so easily again. These next few hours were his best chance of luring him in and landing him. He could do it.

“What a coincidence!” Ardyn turned and waved at them. Blatantly pretending that he hadn’t been waiting for them. And, of course, in doing so made it obvious that he had been.

“I don’t believe it,” Gladio said, side eyeing Noctis.

Maybe suddenly perking up had been a bit too obvious?

“This guy again?” Prompto also gave Noctis a faintly judging look. Prompto had unsurprisingly been upset that Noctis hadn’t confided his ‘type’ to his best friend before.

“Aren’t nursery rhymes curious things?”

Noctis let Ardyn’s words flow over him, pretending to pay attention. It was difficult not to poke at the man and say something about how obvious he was making it that he was stalking them. But as tempting as it was, he knew it would mess up his chance. He needed to wait until the moment he’d spent hours practicing for this moment.

Instead of focusing on his words, Noctis watched the way Ardyn moved. From the way he swayed his hips as he walked to how his hands moved as he talked. He tried to paint a mental picture of what he would look like without the bulky, form hiding clothes. The shoulder pads alone made him look much wider than Noctis knew he was. And his high collar often obscured the lower half of his face.

It was rare, but he’d seen Ardyn in other outfits at formal events. In those times he’d hated the man too much to properly appreciate the sight. It almost made him wish he’d tried a more diplomatic route first. But then again Ardyn barely hit on him in those loops. He was always at his most flirty when he thought he was winning.

Ardyn, who now had his back to Noctis, turned dramatically and said, “I can take you.”

Noctis blinked and frowned at the little smirk being given to him at the end of the speech. God the man was acting suspicious. Why had they all gone along with him the first time?

Gladio moved all of them into a huddle, blocking Noctis' view of Ardyn. He gave Noctis a look and said, “I think we all know what His Highness wants to do.”

“Not so loud.” Noctis leaned sideways, peering around Gladio, to see Ardyn staring right back at him, smirk still in place.

“Noct… as good as it is to see you more awake and alert… we talked about this,” Ignis admonished.

“Shut up,” Noctis grumbled at Gladio, ignoring Ignis. “I’ve read your sex novels. How is this any different?”

“Those are fictional- wait- you’ve read them? When?” Gladio said, looking shocked but also a little touched.

Noctis felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. Oops, he hadn’t meant to say that. “I- uh… I got bored, ok?”

He'd read them back in what he called his 'exploration' phase.

“But you read them to the end?”

Ignis interrupted, “If we can get back to the matter at hand?”

“I don’t have all day gentlemen!” Ardyn called, suspiciously timed. He’d definitely been able to hear them. Damn.

Or maybe not? It was good if Ardyn knew that Noctis was interested in him, right?

“Perhaps we should find our own way-”

“No way!” Noctis said, “Look, I know how he looks but I’m sure it’ll be fine if we’re careful.”

Ignis did not look appeased. Thankfully Prompto, who was a very good friend, chimed in, “So then we just take a ride…”

“And watch our backs.” Gladio nodded, surprising Noctis with his agreement. But then again he had often commented in other loops that he thought it wasn’t a bad thing for Noctis to 'spread his wings' a little before marriage.

“Thanks.” Noctis nodded to his friends, then stepped around Gladio, towards Ardyn, eager to get going and said, “It’s settled. You can take me.”

Prompto cough-laughed behind him. “Phrasing Noct!”

“His Highness meant ‘us’,” Gladio said in a tone that said Noctis had confirmed something for him and he didn’t like it. Knowing Gladio, he was probably regretting his decision already.

“Well!” Ardyn put his hands on his hips and gave them all an assessing look. “I don’t want to disappoint but taking you all at once might be more than I can handle.”

Noctis choked. The son of a bitch had **definitely** been listening.

“But why don’t you come with me to the car park. It’s where I left my automobile. Perhaps we can work something out.” Ardyn winked.

Winked! Oh the bastard was asking for it. What exactly ‘it’ was Noctis had yet to decide. No, he needed to take deep breaths. Ardyn was barely even trying and he was already riling Noctis up. He had to keep a level head. No he was not feeling embarrassed in the slightest.

Ardyn held out a hand in the direction of the parking lot, bowed slightly, and said, “Right this way, Your Highness.”

He led them away from the lookout point and back to the stairs that connected to the parking lot. Noctis hurried to catch up so he could match him stride for stride. Ardyn's pace was leisurely and self assured, projecting a confidence that had always subtly drawn Noctis in.

He strategically let their hands brush a few times when the path narrowed due to the plant boxes that decorated the lookout. There really was no good excuse to walk so close to the other man. But he did it anyway.

In the novel Gladio was currently reading, the main character had used the same method to express their interest. So it had to work. The key was to not glance over, even if he could feel Ardyn's eyes on him.

“By the way, I suppose I never properly introduced myself," Ardyn said to the group at large. "I’m not one to stand on ceremony but please, call me Ardyn.”

“Guess a fan already knows who we all are, huh?” Noctis couldn’t help himself and looked over to see his reaction.

“Ah, ah.” Ardyn wagged a finger at him. “Not a fan, Your Highness.”

“Right. Something more?” Noctis tried to lean forward suggestively, but a cough from behind startled him enough to miss a step and ruin the moment.

Damn.

“Here she is!” Ardyn exclaimed, loud enough for the others following them to hear. “Isn’t she a dear? Pales next to your Regalia, of course. But, she’s never let me down.”

Noctis eyed the bright red paint with the white stripe down the middle. While the car wasn’t as old as some of the others commonly found outside of Insomnia, it was still rather old-fashioned.

Ever since the first time Ardyn had forced him to play 'convoy' it had felt like Noctis was seeing the car everywhere. It got to the point that even if the car he saw was the wrong colour it still left Noctis looking over his shoulder for his stalker for hours after.

“Aha! A solution presents itself.” Ardyn clapped his hands together. “Instead of me taking all of you, why don’t we take both vehicles, a convoy of sorts. Shall we?”

Before Noctis could do anything a hand at his elbow hauled him back.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Your Highness?” Ignis asked quietly.

Noctis turned and hissed back at him, “I'm really sure, Iggy.”

“All set?” Ardyn said, one eyebrow raised in their direction. When Noctis nodded he continued, “In that case, allow me to-”

“I’m riding with you,” Noctis hurried to cut him off. As he said it, Noctis reached into his pocket and fingered the coin Ardyn had thrown at him at Galdin.

Wait for it-

Ardyn was a bit taken aback, but he recovered quickly. “Oh? Do I look like a taxi? But how will the pauper prince pay the fare?”

How the hell did Ardyn know that? Noctis hesitated, coin between his fingers. 

“What did you-?” Ignis started, insulted on their behalf.

Ardyn laughed off Ignis' outrage.

But of course his stalker would know he’d barely been doing any hunts. Noctis should’ve known. He shook off his brief distraction, he needed to act **now**!

“Here. This should cover it.” He flicked the coin at Ardyn.

He imitated the move Ardyn had used at Galdin Quay, complete with the wrist flick. The point was to act cool and in control. To throw back at Ardyn what he had done to him. Plus, Ardyn would believe his advances were genuine if he came off as suave and cool.

But then the coin slipped between his fingers. He flubbed the toss. It missed Ardyn, hitting the side of his car with a _clink_ and rolling off to the side.

Ardyn just looked at Noctis for a moment. Then broke his shocked silence by bursting into giggles. Someone behind him -Prompto- snorted.

Noctis ducked his head, hiding from the embarrassment of his failure and hurried over to the coin, crouching and picking it up. 

Shit. 

_I should have practised the flick more!_ Noctis berated himself. But trying to do it in the bathroom with no one noticing had been difficult! And there hadn’t been much room!

Flustered, he stood and just grabbed one of Ardyn’s hands. The man let him, still giggling uncontrollably. Noctis couldn’t tell if it was a fake laugh at Noctis' expense or if it was genuine and… also at Noctis' expense.

“Just take it.” He pushed Ardyn’s hand, which had reflexively closed on the coin, hard into the other man’s chest. Ardyn swayed back but didn’t stumble as Noctis had half hoped he would.

He ignored the looks the others were giving him. Gladio even had his head in one hand and was shaking it.

Noctis brushed past Ardyn. He just wanted to get this whole thing over with. He'd ruined it! All that planning for nothing! He got into the passenger seat of Ardyn's car. He didn’t even bother opening the door. Just hopped over the side. He resisted the urge to slouch into the seat and sulk.

“Ah, Your Highness.” Ardyn finally stopped laughing and leaned over the passenger seat. He practically loomed over Noctis. Holding the coin between two fingers in front of Noctis' face he said, “I’m not sure how to break it to you but... I’m afraid this coin is practically worthless.”

“Wh- how-” Noctis sputtered. “How is that- You shouldn’t be so cheap then!” He managed to get out, outraged. Why was Aryn making this into a big deal? Thankfully, multiple loops dealing with Ardyn had made him much better at thinking on his feet. He added, “Since you refused dinner, I’ll take the taxi ride instead.”

Ardyn just eyed him, his expression difficult to read due to his collar hiding most of his face. But then he angled his head in agreement and said, “As His Highness wishes, of course.”

Noctis really did slouch in his seat then, but in relief.

“You call this being careful?” Gladio hissed down at him when Ardyn circled around to the driver’s side.

“I’ll be fine.” Noctis waved his shield’s concern away. “You guys’ll be right behind us.”

Well, that hadn't gone as planned at all. But... He’d at least succeeded in making it obvious he was interested in the other man. Right?

And Ardyn hadn't kicked him out of the car so his lure, even if he’d messed it up, hadn’t been a complete turn off. Now, with some private time alone he just needed to offer himself up as bait and land the catch.

He tried not to let any anticipation show as Ardyn got in the car. It was a bit weird, being so close to him. He started to tap a finger against his thigh to contain his rising excitement.

Part one of the seduction was complete. On to part two.

“All buckled in Your Highness? Then let us be off!”

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to my beta reader! <3


End file.
